Recently, Knight Viviana, better known as the Candle Knight, had been feeling distinctly uneasy. It showed not only in her daily life, where she often seemed absent-minded or lost in thought, but even during her weapon practice, where her usual focus occasionally slipped.
The Fate Knight were like a large family. Though the group included both infected and non-infected members, they coexisted in remarkable harmony. This was one of Tomorrow's Development's long-term plans in Kazimierz. As the leader of the Fate Knight, the Blood Knight personally invited each member to join. Naturally, he conducted strength assessments beforehand, but more important than combat ability were a candidate's character and their views toward the infected.
The lack of internal conflict within the Fate Knight spoke for itself. The non-infected knights did not resent the presence of the infected; if anything, they regarded them with a sense of acceptance, even goodwill. In many ways, the Fate Knight were a microcosm of Tomorrow's Development broader ideals.
Because of this, the Candle Knight's unusual behavior quickly drew attention. As a young and renowned female knight, she was widely admired and welcomed, and she naturally had no shortage of suitors. It was easy to assume that such attention might have caused her some trouble.
Beyond the enthusiasm of her fans, the newspapers added fuel to the fire, exaggerating trivial matters into sensational gossip. Rumors spread wildly, claiming that the Candle Knight bathed daily in alternating red wine and milk to maintain her jade-like skin, among other absurd stories.
All of this clearly troubled her, yet she chose to remain silent.
Her distracted state became especially noticeable during interviews with reporters.
"Miss Candle Knight, congratulations on advancing to the next round. Do you have anything you'd like to say to your fans?"
"Um… thank you for coming to watch my match."
"Your next opponent will be the Radiant Knight, Margaret, a former Kazimierz Major Knight Champion. What are your thoughts on this upcoming match?"
"..."
"Miss Candle Knight? Miss Candle Knight?"
"Ah… Margaret… cough." A faint blush spread across the Candle Knight's face as she stood before the camera. She pressed her lips together and said softly, "I'm really looking forward to this match."
"Thank you very much for accepting this interview, Miss Candle Knight."
The Candle Knight shown on television was undeniably concerning. Known for her elegance and composure, she had never displayed such reactions before. Viewers could not help but wonder if she was feeling unwell or perhaps coming down with a fever.
This caused considerable concern among players. As a member of the Fate Knight, the Candle Knight had naturally attracted a loyal following among them.
After all, what one cannot obtain often seems all the more alluring. Although the Candle Knight belonged to the Fate Knight, she was not an operator aboard the Venus.
Many players hoped that one day she might join them on the landship, perhaps even taking on quests together as part of a party.
Despite their worries, encounters with the Candle Knight remained fleeting. While players were allowed into the Fate Knight's encampment, only a few were lucky enough to see her after training. When they offered their well wishes, she responded with a gentle smile.
That refined and tender smile was enough to make some players exclaim, half-jokingly, about when they would finally be able to marry her.
However, over the past two days, players' attention had been drawn to something else entirely, something that dramatically changed how they spent their downtime. Instead of watching videos or scrolling through SNS, they had started playing games.
'Do you play games while slacking off from gaming?'
This time, it was a mobile game that players could casually enjoy on their phones during work or school. It could even be played through an emulator by opening a browser inside the game.
The game was called Arknights.
(T/N: this one use original Arknights 明日方舟 title that has literal meaning: Ark of Tomorrow. It's different from the game used in this story where the name is "Ark". To avoid any confusion in the future, sometimes I will be using the names "Ark" for the VRMMORPG one and "Arknights" for the TD.)
"Mr. Hai Mao, how did you come up with the idea to develop this game?"
The interviewer from MMOTODAY and GamerSky smiled as he held out the microphone.
Seated across from him was a man of about twenty-five, participating in a live broadcast. Hai Mao, the invited guest, sat on the sofa with a modest smile. "Actually, you can tell the original intention of the game just from its name."
"It's about opening up tomorrow."
"It's about the Ark."
"And for kemonomimi."
The comment section immediately erupted.
"Ark is a very well-known game, practically a household name. It's been running for years and has players all over the world. I don't think anyone would deny that." Hai Mao looked a little shy. Those who knew him from in-game, however, would be surprised, as he was usually quite a bright and cheerful person.
"Ever since I started playing Ark or also known as Arknights, I've developed a deep bond with a certain organization. I believe most players feel the same way." Hai Mao paused, and the interviewer quickly followed up, "You're talking about Tomorrow's Development, right?"
"That's right."
Hai Mao, having had his words preempted, touched his nose a little awkwardly before continuing. "To my embarrassment, I didn't get into the closed beta. I only entered the game early on, around version 1.0. I spent a long, long time hesitating over race selection before finally creating a Sarkaz character."
"Eh? Why?" the girl asked, blinking in curiosity.
"Because I think having two horns just looks cooler."
The audience clearly did not share that innocent reasoning, and the comments immediately started flying.
>>"Isn't it because Miss Sarkaz's… thing is bigger?"
>>"I may have copied it, but the logic is sound, even if the wording is a bit crude!"
>>"You know what, that's actually true."
>>"Then let me ask you, isn't Philip's bear big too?"
Hai Mao glanced at the barrage of comments, coughed a few times, and quickly put on a polite smile. "After that came the Kazdel civil war, which every player is familiar with. Back then, life was really hard. We didn't even know where our next meal would come from, until the appearance of the pioneer Felix gave us a glimmer of hope. At the time, he was still using the methods of a merchant to bring salvation to people on this land. In the long version that followed, he eventually founded his own organization, Tomorrow's Development."
"It's a bit of a shame that I didn't pass Instructor Degenbrecher's assessment after arriving in Lungmen, but I still chose to stay there and keep working hard. Later, in version 2.0, Tomorrow's Development were officially added. I believe that was also when most players joined the game."
"After becoming a member of Tomorrow's Development, I began completing tasks step by step. At the same time, I grew increasingly curious about Felix, the founder and leader of Tomorrow's Development. What kind of person was he? Why was he willing to help the infected of this land? Why would he give us a chance at all?"
The girl's eyes lit up. "That's where the game's name comes from, right?"
Hai Mao smiled and nodded. "Exactly. This is a tower defense game. The story begins before the creation of Tomorrow's Development, exploring the early pioneer. Now, it focuses on the personal story of the King of Dawn. At the same time, to enhance gameplay and expansion, there are many partners you can recruit in the game, all of whom can fight alongside you as members of Tomorrow's Development."
As soon as he finished speaking, the music video cut in at the perfect moment.
A barren desert stretched into the distance beneath a blazing sun. The protagonist staggered forward through the dust.
The protagonist glanced down at the canteen in their hand. It was already empty.
Under the scorching light, the figure in the first-person view blinked, their vision swimming.
After a few more unsteady steps, they collapsed onto the ground.
>>"Wait, is he already dead?"
>>"what?!"
>>"Huh? The protagonist dies right at the start?"
The comment section grew even more frantic as the video continued.
They blinked again and woke up to see a campfire burning before him, a truck parked not far away, and a young man sitting by the fire. His appearance was so striking that it was impossible to look away.
"You're finally awake."
The young man had short, light gray hair. In the glow of the campfire, his eyes shone like warm gems. A radiant halo hovered above his head, wings extended from his back, and he wore a black travel coat. The sight stirred nostalgia in many veteran players who had followed him from the very beginning. His identity was unmistakable.
"Damn it, Felix!"
"It's my destined love, I'm licking this!"
"Waaaaah, Felix, take me away! My prince, my king, please whip me mercilessly!"
The protagonist blinked again and tried to sit up, but Felix stopped them.
"Your body is still too weak to move around freely." Felix handed them a bottle of water. "By the way, judging from your clothes, you're a traveler. Do you have a destination in mind?"
The protagonist, the main character of the music video, shook their head. They rummaged through their bag and pulled out a letter.
"Not just a traveler, but a messenger too?" Felix smiled and handed over a string of dried rations. "Compared to you, I'm not even sure what I want to do in the future."
The protagonist tilted their head in confusion.
Felix sat to the side, using a branch to poke at the firewood. "After traveling this land for a while, not too long and not too short, I've discovered many unreasonable things here, and many things that are worth changing. No, things that must be changed. It's just that right now, I'm still a businessman. I have ambitions, but they seem very far away."
The camera subtly shifted, as if responding to his words.
"Really? I didn't expect you to think that way too." Felix looked directly at the camera, his expression bright. "I'd like to invite you to join me."
The camera turned toward itself in surprise.
"That's right. To achieve that, we'll need a great many people and resources. Since we've had such a pleasant conversation, why don't we work together and make it happen?"
Felix smiled and extended a hand. "Ah, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Felix. I'm currently operating on this land under the codename of Pioneer. And you are?"
>>"Your Darling!"
>>"Your wife!"
>>"Your—!"
>>"I've gone insane from skipping those comments!"
The camera nodded, then reached out and clasped Felix's hand, accepting the invitation.
The scene shifted rapidly. The camera followed Felix as they stepped onto rain-soaked ground, lifting their head beneath a hood to take in the neon glow of the Kazimierz's Domain. Then came Lungmen, famed for its million-dollar night view. Kazdel, buried beneath yellow sands. Siracusa, where mafioso families roamed freely. Bourgeois Victoria. Technologically advanced Columbia. One scene after another unfolded.
As the visuals transitioned, snippets of gameplay appeared. Just as Hai Mao had described, it was a tower defense game. At first glance, it did not look like something that demanded immediate obsession, but it carried a distinct charm of its own.
The number of companions quietly grew.
The camera followed Felix as he climbed a mountain, standing with him and the senior executives of Tomorrow's Development, gazing down at the vast landscape below.
"The journey… has only just begun."
The screen faded to black. Then four large characters appeared.
明日方舟
Arknights.
The video ended, and the comment section erupted.
>>"I've finished watching it. The production quality is incredible. You can tell the development team put in a ton of effort. The plot references the rise of Felix, the King of Dawn. They must've interviewed a lot of NPCs, right?"
>>"I get it now. The main perspective is the player, the character we control. I'm really curious how that'll be handled in the story."
>>"They really went all out. I wonder what the detailed settings and gameplay will be like."
Hai Mao skimmed through the comments and nodded. "As you can see, in the game, we players take on the role of a messenger whom Felix, the pioneer, encountered back when he was still a merchant. After speaking with him, we decide to travel alongside him. In both daily life and combat, we act as strategists, assisting the pioneer and helping him achieve our shared ideals."
As he spoke, character illustrations of the male and female protagonists appeared on the screen. Both were hooded messengers, one male and one female, with black hair and black eyes. The man was handsome, the woman beautiful.
Clearly, they were yet another incarnation of the players themselves within the world of the Arknights.
This made many viewers nod in approval. Seeing Hai Mao display protagonists of different races sparked additional interest. While most players would not go so far as to finely customize appearances, being able to choose gender and race for their character in Arknights was more than enough.
As for how the plot would unfold, that remained uncertain. Still, a story centered on Felix, the King of Dawn, felt fresh and appealing. Many newer players who had joined Tomorrow's Development knew little about the earlier history, so this game could serve as another way to fill in those gaps.
The fact that an entirely new game was being made based on the original one surprised players. They were both amused and astonished that Hai Mao had managed to secure the rights from a mysterious developer, presumably at no small cost.
(T/N: It turns out that Hypergryph is not the one who made the Ark VRMMORPG...)
The young woman listened with a smile as Hai Mao explained the mechanics and strategic elements of Tomorrow's Development. As a devoted fan of the King of Dawn, seeing such a clearly fan-oriented game made her eager to play it immediately.